Social distance and social connectedness - Term Paper Example

Both of the terms, i.e. the social distance and the social connectedness although different in meaning, are employed to discuss the level of closeness between the individual groups within the society that differ from one another on various grounds. Social interaction and dialogue between different communities gives rise to unity and strength, and promotes the prosperity and progress of the nation as a whole. The vast amount of literature developed in the area of sociology has categorized social distance into three different types, namely the affective social distance, the normative social distance and the interactive social distance.

Social distance is called as affective distance when it depicts the concerns of one community towards another community when the latter experiences certain hardships in the society. On the other hand, normative distance serves to differentiate between insiders and the outsiders. “Relations between normatively close members of a group are not always warm and friendly, and normatively distant groups can sometimes be an object of reverence and love.” (Karakayali, 2009). The third type of social distance is called as the interactive social distance that is essentially a measure of the level of interaction and socialization between two parties in the society.

In light of this definition, the interactive social distance is inversely proportional to the communicative strength prevailing in a relation between the two parties. Every individual in the society builds personal boundaries around him/her and this is an intrinsic feature of human psychology. “This social distance is also known as body space and comfort zone and the use of this space is called proxemics.” (Hall, 1966). It is also essential to a certain extent in order for the individual to be educated on the necessary limits to be drawn